Beads on a Rosary
by WabiSabi33
Summary: A collection of ficlets on our favorite Inuyasha characters.This Week: Dreaming, a story about Sango! Past Stories: Oden and Osuwari, Two Fangs for Two Swords, and the Hardest Slap, The Flown Arrow, Love Undaunted R&R!
1. Oden and Osuwari

"OSUWARI! OSUWARI! OSUWARI! O! SU! WA! RI!" Kagome pedaled away, leaving Inuyasha in a large crater.

"What do you think he's done now?" Kagome heard Shippou say behind her.

"One word. Five letters." Miroku said dryly. "I'll give you one guess.

"Ki-" Sango started.

"Not until she's gone!" Miroku hissed.

Kagome scowled at her friends, and was briefly cheered by the sound of a loud slap. '_Go Sango!'_ Kagome thought, _'But it's still not as effective as the necklace.'_

Of course, now that she had reduced Inuyasha to a suffering pile of hanyou, she felt bad about it. She shouldn't have gotten so angry with him. He couldn't help the fact that he was worried about Kikyo. He was in love with her.

"Osuwari." Kagome said again, just for good measure, pulling her legs over the rim of the well. A satisfying thud answered her and she leapt in.

Safely back on the other side of time, she brushed herself off and climbed up the ladder. She was going to stay in her own time for a few days. There were things she needed to do, other than save the world from an evil quasi-demon. She needed to finish high school. Somehow, whenever she was mad at Inuyasha, high school always seemed so much more important than it usually did.

"Mom! I'm home!" She called out, taking her shoes off in the entrance way to the house. Her mother walked out of the kitchen, apron on, with a spatula in one hand. She looked at her daughter, surprised.

"So soon? You just loaded up on supplied a few days ago."

"Aren't you supposed to be happy to see your daughter?" Kagome said, feeling her anger flare up again. Her mother seemed to realise her mistake and had started to inch back into the kitchen.

"Of course I'm happy to see you." Her mother replied nervously. "You didn't have any trouble on the other side of the well did you? With Inuyasha?"

"Of course not mother, why would I possibly have trouble with that arrogant selfish jerk. I'm going to go do my homework now." Kagome said calmly, and raced upstairs. Sighing, she sat down and opened her math textbook. She wondered if an osuwari would carry across time too.

It was just that...every time she thought about Inuyasha and Kikyo she felt a whole plethora of emotions, none of which she liked. Usually, she was able to keep any problems with the two at the back of her mind, but when Inuyasha went after Kikyo, or vice versa, all the emotions came screaming up at her, making her feel small and insecure. Taking her frustrations out on Inuyasha only helped for a little while, and afterwards she always felt a little guilty about it. Inuyasha couldn't help that his old girlfriend had come back from the dead and was hell bent on killing him. Inuyasha couldn't help his emotions.

But Kagome couldn't help hers either. She...really wanted to be able to stay by Inuyasha. She wanted to be with him, without the confusing problems that Kikyo presented. For now, quietly (or not so quietly) tolerating it, she could do, but she worried about the future. And while picturing a future with Inuyasha gave her butterflies, she wanted the picture she saw to be a happy one. Without Inuyasha also picturing a similar future there was no way it could be. Inuyasha was too busy with his worries over Kikyo to even think about the future.

"We might not have a future," She said aloud. Naraku might just get the better of them one day. A solution to her problems, but a very bad one. Slamming her math book shut she went over to the window and leaned out of it.

"Where is Inuyasha!?" She demanded to know from the sky. It twinkled down at her cheerfully. Kagome wondered if that last sit had done the poor hanyou in. Usually by now he was sitting in her window, complaining about her being gone and ruining her attempts to pass high school math. Maybe he had finally gotten fed up with her temper.

"KA-GO-MEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEE!" Souta yelled from the hall. "Dinner's done!"

"I'll be there in a second!" Kagome said. She hoped they were having oden. Wonderful wonderful delicious oden. She could smell it now....

"Oden, oden, oden!" She said, skipping down the stairs and sitting in front of the table. "Yummy delicious heavenly oden!" She picked up her chopsticks. "Itadakimasu!"

".....You said she was in a bad mood. You didn't tell me she had gone crazy." Kagome looked up, the joyous oden forgotten.

"I-Inuyasha?" She said.

"Feh. What, did you expect me to leave you here?" Inuyasha wasn't looking at her, though he was sitting directly across from her. "Your mother invited me to dinner. "

"Inuyasha appreciates my cooking." Her mother said, pointing to the fallen chopsticks and untouched bowl Kagome had left on the table upon seeing Inuyasha.

"Inuyasha." Kagome said.

"What, wench?"

"Osuwari." She picked up her chopsticks and started to eat her oden. Now if only there was a way to figure out how to do that to her mom as well

"What was that for!?" Inuyasha picked himself up off the ground, slamming fists on the table. "I come all the way here for you and you sit me!?"

"Yes." Kagome took another bite of her oden. It was delicious. So very delicious. Delicious enough to allow her to ignore Inuyasha.

"Honestly, I don't even know what you were so mad about in the first place!!!"

Kagome lifted her eyes from her bowl of oden, took another bite, and glared at Inuyasha. He gulped and scooted back a little. Kagome returned to her game of "Eat Oden and Ignore Inuyasha."

"Do you know?" Inuyasha whispered loudly to her mother.

"I have no clue. It was obviously something you did." Her mother replied, spooning more oden into Kagome's outstretched bowl.

"Wench, you'll get fat if you eat that much."

".................now you've done it." Souta whispered, backing away from the table. "I.....I think I'll go call the police.....so they can clean up the mess your corpse makes....." Inuyasha turned the same colour as his hair.

"I'll go clean up the kitchen." Her mother said, dashing off. Inuyasha looked for an escape route, then decided to stand his ground. He leaned over and pointed one claw at her nose.

"You should apologize for sitting me for no reason." He said, folding his arms and looking self-righteous. Kagome slammed down her bowl of oden.

"I'm SO sorry Inuyasha, that I never get to have a good home cooked meal running around in the feudal era, and so I am enjoying this while it lasts. I'm SO SO sorry Inuyasha that I get a little miffed when you go chasing after Kikyo! I'M SO VERY VERY SORRY THAT YOU'RE AN INSENSITIVE JERK!"

".....oh...." Inuyasha squeaked. Kagome gave him a searing glare and stormed out.

A few minutes later her window opened and she hear Inuyasha sit down with a huff.

"I'm not sorry."

Kagome looked up at the hanyou sitting in her bedroom window. She opened her mouth.

"Osu-" Inuyasha clapped his hand over her mouth.

"Can you at least let me finish before sitting me again?" He asked. She nodded. That had been a little hasty on her part. "Anyways, I'm not sorry. I...didn't protect Kikyo while she was alive. The least I can do for her now is make sure she doesn't die horribly twice." He leaned back against the windowsill. "You don't have to come back to the feudal era if you don't want to."

He didn't want her back. Kagome blinked. Inuyasha....didn't care if she came back or not?

"I mean...if it's that much of a pain for you..."

"You don't care if I don't come back?" Kagome asked. Inuyasha looked surprised.

"Feh. Of course I want you to come back. But if you miss your oden too much ya don't have to. " Inuyasha said. "Even if it's your fault this whole thing got started, it doesn't mean I'm going to sit around and let you be unhappy."

".....oh...." It was Kagome's turn to squeak. "I....I'm coming back."

"Good." Inuyasha stood up in her room. "Let's go."

"Eh? right now? I have to finish my math homework." Kagome waved it in his face. He plucked the offending piece of paper out of her hand and looked at it.

"Gibberish." He announced, and shredded it. "Now can we go?" Kagome watched the tattered remains of her homework drift to the floor. Inuyasha's moment of sweetness had officially ended. Which meant hers had too.

"Inuyasha?"

"Hm?"

"Osuwari."

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**AN- Thank you for reading, and guess what? There's more! This is not a oneshot. Well, kind of. I wrote a series of stories on Kagome, Kikyo, Inuyasha, Sesshoumaru, Rin, Sango, Shippou, Izayoi, and Inutaisho. Instead of releasing each one as a short little blurb, I'm stringing 'em all together in one fic.**


	2. Two Fangs for Two Swords

The Lord of the Western Lands growled one threatening word. "Toutousai."

"Huh? What? Where am I? Who are you?" The old man scratched his head, looking at Inutaisho with a blank expression. Growling again, the lord hit the old man over the head.

"I sent for you some time ago, Toutousai. Why do I find myself sitting in your cave instead of at my home?" Inutaisho said.

"You young ones, always so impatient!" Toutousai folded his arms, staring at the lord across the fire. "And why should a great swordsmith such as myself, with my age and wisdom, come to see such a young and brash lord."

"Toutousai, if you consider me young, I fear knowing your true age. But I believe, smith, that you owe me some respect, seeing as how you have deigned to settle upon my lands."

Inutaisho kept his voice level, knowing from his new mate, Izayoi, that he had a habit of simply growling his requests unintelligibly. Luckily, she had been brave enough to do so. He expected it had been the cause of a few misunderstandings in the past years. Though, if anyone else had tried to point out a fault, they would find their statement to be the last to cross their lips.

Izayoi....Izayoi was what drove him to make this request of the eccentric and, he observed with annoyance, somewhat senile swordsmith. He had concluded, having met Toutousai, the only thing that surpassed his ability in smithing was his stupidity. That, however would not drive him away from this most important task. Especially since he had left Izayoi, currently carrying his son, back in his castle. It was a seperation that, if he thought too much on it, would send him into a panic.

The idea to come to Toutousai had come from a conversation he had had with Izayoi, concerning the future of his present and his future son. They had been dining, he simply watching her eat, and she consuming enough for two and then some when she had paused, setting down her rice bowl and chopsticks, and looked at him, black eyes more serious than he was used to seeing them.

"I am concerned." Izayoi announced, almost making him laugh. She noticed his amusement and narrowed his eyes. "Inutaisho-sama."

"Forgive me." He said, willing the smile off his face. "What makes you so concerned?"

"Even though you did not see fit to inform me, I know I am carrying your child." Izayoi said.

Inutaisho waited, not admitting anything. He had known yes, and had been waiting for an oppurtune moment to tell her.

"You dislike this?" He said cautiously. Despite her impeccable manners, her grace and her beauty, Izayoi had a temper to match him and nerves of steel to go with it. He doubted she disliked carrying his child, but human females were irrational and unpredictable creatures. At his question her eyes widened and she shook her head.

"I dislike the fact that you did not tell me. I am....very happy to be carrying your child." Izayoi said, almost shyly. Inutaisho let himself smile, joy and pride competing for the prominent emotion in his heart.

"But-" Izayoi continued and he felt wariness relentlessly squash both joy and pride, "I know that our son will not have the powers of a full demon. I fear for his safety. That is why I am concerned." Her expression saddened, and panic that she might cry started to overtake wariness. "I know I myself will not be able to defend our son."

"I will-"

"I do not think anyone of your lineage will enjoy being coddled." Izayoi pointed out cooly. He accepted the slight barb and nodded. "I believe that we should think of some way to ensure that our son will be protected always."

"There is also the chance that his demon blood could drive him mad as well." Inutaisho said thoughtfully, then caught the look on Izayoi's face. "It hardly ever happens though, I promise you, Izayoi." He waited, hoping she would not hear the lie in his words and relaxed as she did not, and nodded. "Myouga."

"Yes, my lord Inutaisho!" Myouga hopped up onto the inuyoukai's nose and began sucking greedily. Inutaisho squished him between to fingers distastefully and flicked him onto the table. Izayoi giggled slightly, covering her mouth with one hand, used enough to their antics to know that Myouga was not injured despite being completely flattened.

"What do you know of the swordsmith Toutousai, recently settled upon my lands?" Inutaisho waited for the flea demon to pop back into a three dimensional existence. Having done so the flea bowed before speaking in a slightly irritating voice.

"Mi'lord, Toutousai is a very very old man who is famed for both his skills as a swordsmith and his strange behaviour. They say he is very reclusive, and is choosy about who he makes swords for, having both the ability to hide himself and fight if necessary. It is rumoured, tht if you can get Toutousai to make a sword for you, you need never fear anything again. Not any living creature, nor anything otherwise." The flea began to hop over to Izayoi.

"Does my lady Izayoi desire a sword? I had no idea that she had such talents." He said, hopping onto her hand. Inutaisho lazily flicked the flea into the wall with his whip.

"Not for her, for my son." Inutaisho said, thinking hard. Though, perhaps some sort of protection for Izayoi was in order. The humans he had plucked her from were buzzing noisily around his borders, and while he would like to have made an example of them for the youkai who were annoying him, Izayoi knew and liked several of the humans he had taken her from, and had even requested that they be allowed to visit her. Of course, now with the possiblity of such a powerful sword in wait for his future son, and he to protect her now, she had no need of such protection. He would have to visit this Toutousai.

The idea for the second sword had come after a confrontation with his firstborn, Sesshoumaru. He did not need an all powerful sword for protection, and Inutaisho had no plan of making him one. That would only add to the boy's ego and assurance that he, Sesshoumaru, was above everything and anyone else on the earth. The confrontation had started over Inutaisho taking Izayoi as a mate, and his lack of shame for happily awaiting the birth of his hanyou son. Disgusted with him, Sesshoumaru had set out to destroy him. Being older and stronger, Inutaisho had defeated the young inuyoukai, if not with ease, then with no relative difficulty. Inutaisho did realize, however, that Sesshoumaru's hate for humans, and in fact, for anyone but himself would evenutually lead only to his son's own misery. A miserable and powerful youkai do not bode well for those living anywhere near him. Or anyone far away either. Thus the second sword, a sword of compassion had come to his mind. And with the idea of two swords, one for each son, he had sent for the swordsmith Toutousai. After a month passed, he had taken it upon himself to pay a visit to the old man, in part due to his own impatience and also because of Izayoi's insistence. Now he sat across the fire from the old demon, who showed signs of definite senility and idiocy.

"Two swords." Toutousai said, snapping him out of his thoughts. "For who?"

"My sons."

"Definitely not. Sesshoumaru is incapable of feeling and has no need of anything that could increase his power. And the unborn one is not likely to actually survive long enough to use a sword, hanyou that he is." Toutousai said, folding his arms and looking away. Touga ground his teeth at the insults, and rembered Myouga's words about Toutousai being able to hide himself away. If he attacked the old man now he would never get his swords. His sons would suffer. Izayoi would be disappointed.

"I know the faults of my own, Toutousai. I know Sesshoumaru's ability to feel and my unborn child's future difficulties in protecting himself." Inutaisho said, unable to keep the growl out of his voice.

"Eh? what was that? I don't hear so well..." Toutousai said, cupping a hand to his ear, the expression on his face clearly saying he had heard the demon lord quite well.

"I said I know my sons have and will have their faults!" Inutaisho roared.

Toutousai nodded, a slightly crafty look on his face. "So what would you have me, a swordsmith do?"

"I want a sword for my youngest, to wield to be able to protect himself, and the humans he will no doubt be with." Inutaisho said, thinking of Izayoi's smiling face. "I want a sword for my eldest to be able to heal, to revive those should he ever need anyone."

"Hmph." Toutousai was doing a poor job of trying not to look intrigued. "And what would you have me make these swords from? Thin air?"

"Could you?" Inutaisho said. Toutousai snorted and the demon dog snarled, baring teeth. Toutousai looked at him and tapped on his teeth, surprising Inutaisho so much that he lost his angry epxression completely.

"Those will do." Toutousai said simply.

"My fangs?" Inutaisho said incredulously.

"What better material could there be, espeically if these are gifts to your sons?" Toutousai said. "Just come and let me extract them." he said craftily, pulling out a pair of pliers.

The Lord of the Western Lands returned home minus two fangs. He went immediately to Izayoi's room, detecting the scent of her tears.

"Izayoi." He said quietly and she hastily wiped at her eyes.

"You've returned." She said, giving him a full smile.

"Toutousai has agreed to make the swords. I will not leave you again until I go back for them." Inutaisho stepped forward and wiped the remaining tears off of her cheeks. "And I will find out who has saddened you so." He said, angrily, feeling his lips pull back for a snarl. He expected Izayoi to try and calm him as she usually did, but instead she clapped her hands to her mouth and shook. He looked at her, puzzled.

"What is it?" He asked, concerned, and then realised she was laughing.

"Oh, my..." She finally managed to still herself.

"Toutotusai required them for the swords." Inutaisho said, his voice gruff with slight embarassment. Izayoi giggled again.

"They will grow back, won't they?" She asked and went into another fit of controllable laughter.

"Of course they will!" Inutaisho said angrily.

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Hm, Inutaisho or Touga....personally, I prefer Inutaisho...so that's what I used. If Rumiko Takahashi decides to pick a name, and puts it in a book or manga, I'll fix it then

Ah, and reviews are always weclome. Constructive criticism...flames....spelling mistakes....anything....


	3. The Hardest Slap

Miroku fiddled idly with the prayer beads that sealed the kazaana away, so he wouldn't act as a human vortex all the time. He smiled slightly. If he ever tried to grope someone's lovely round-

THUNK.

"Sango, were you reading my mind again?" Miroku said amiably, smiling seductively at the taijiya. Glaring at him, she shook her head.

"No one has to read your mind, Houshi-sama, all they have to do is look at the expression on your face!" With that angry retort, she stalked off to catch up with Kagome. Miroku grinned slightly. As long as she continued to try and give him brain damage, he knew she still cared. And as long as the temperamental taijiya cared, he would not be lost.

The life he had lived before meeting his companions was one to be envied, but not proud of. He was, quite honestly, a conniving bastard, and a perverted one at that. He had conned many a palace, and rubbed many-ah-broken many a heart. It was all for his search for the one who had cursed him, Naraku, but he had realised, when had he begun traveling with Kagome, Inuyasha and Shippou, how aimlessly he had been going about it. Shifting his focus to the shikon shards hadn't helped either. It seemed, now, that he had been conning himself. Truthfully, he had no hope of ever lifting the curse. His father had not succeeded, nor his father before him. Why should he, the least saintly of monks, be allowed to live a normal life, without the affliction his forefathers had suffered through?

It had seemed a dream only worth pursuing recently. The rumour of the shikon shards, and the fact that Naraku was looking for them, had caught his interest. He realised that going after the shards would serve his purpose whether or not he ever met Naraku. If he went after them and ended up running into Naraku, he could destroy the man who had cursed his family. If he simply collected all the jewel shards, he would be able to use the jewel's power to break the curse. Those had been his intentions when he first confronted Inuyasha and Kagome.

Also, there was his sworn duty as a monk to protect people from dangerous demons and, he had included upon first seeing Inuyasha, half demons.

With the others though...he began to see a glimmer of hope. Despite being a hanyou, Inuyasha's strength and character were admirable. Both Kagome's ability to see and sense shikon shards, as well as purify just about anything if she truly wished to were amazing. And Shippou....was a good way to get women. One look at the adorable tyke and....

And he realised that his thoughts wandered as assuredly as his hands did. The only woman he really wanted to get had been traveling with the group for some time now. And was now the source of an impending headache. What would he do without her?

Be sucked into a nice dark abyss and die.

That was the curse that went along with having a more than slightly useful black hole in your hand. Instead of devouring enemies, one day it would devour you.

Without her, he had no future to look forward to, and therefore nothing to fight for in the present. He could have gone back to his life of scheming and philandering.

There was no question that he decided to fight for that life before Sango came along, but that was because he had no other option. There was no way he could get the shikon shards from Inuyasha, find Naraku, or even if he was able to find him, kill Naraku. Joining forces with the miko and the hanyou had been the only choice that made any sense. The appearance of the taijiya changed things for him. The desire to protect gave him purpose.

Sango was the reason why his father had told him to ask EVERY single girl to bear his child in hopes of finding the right one.

The lecture had come shortly before his father's demise at the hand (no pun intended) of his own Kazaana. They had been sitting in the temple where Mushin the monk resided. His mother was busy preparing for their next journey, getting supplies from Mushin and making food. Bored, and told to keep out of his mother's way, Miroku went and plunked down next to his father, who was sitting on the steps, leaning against his staff, a shakujo, typical of Buddhist monks to carry while traveling.

"Did Mushin teach you anything today?" his father asked, ruffling his son's hair.

"Yes." Miroku answered, after thinking for a bit.

"What?"

"Why drinking is a bad idea."

"Ah." His father laughed. "So, your mother sent you out? Were you getting into trouble?"

"It was that stupid Mushin's fault." Miroku said, folding his arms in his miniature monk robes. "He said that if I rubbed Sumiko's back side she'd give me a kiss."

"Really? Now, Miroku, you know why Mushin's still single." His father said knowingly, shaking his head incredulously at his friend's behaviour.

"He said it worked on okaa-san when you met her." Miroku scowled again. "And that's when she sent me outside. She hit me on the head too. It hurt. I've got the lump to prove it."

"Ah, yes, your mother is quite sadistic. If she slaps me one more time, her hand print will be permanently etched into my skin."

His father sighed.

Miroku sighed.

"Women." They said together.

"But is it true?" Miroku asked after a little while.

"What?"

"Did Mum kiss you after you rubbed her backside? Does that work? Is that how you guys got me?"

".....er not quite.....Let's see....well, rubbing a woman's backside doesn't always elicit a kiss from said woman. Usually it's a slap. But there is a way to tell if she will kiss you eventually." His father's face acquired a sly look.

Miroku nodded, hanging on every word, storing the information for future reference.

"She'll have the hardest, most ear ringing, concussion inducing slap you've ever felt." A satisfied and nostalgic grin graced his father's features.

"Huh?" Miroku said.

"Of course, to tell, you'll have to rub many a backside..." His father's eyes clouded over slightly. "And many of them will slap you. But the woman who slaps the hardest...she's the one who: likes you doing it to her, and hates you doing it to other women. And that my son, is called jealousy. And if she's jealous, she's in love. Your mother...has the most wonderful-a-hem-anyway, she slapped me into a tree. I was unconscious for three days, and woke up being tenderly tended to."

"And that's how kids are born?" Miroku asked curiously.

"Well, no, after the slapping and loving care, I-"

"HOUSHI!!!!!"

"Oops." His father said, looking in the direction of his mother.

"......He did it." Miroku pointed to his father.

"Traitor." Miroku's father hissed at his son under his breath, looking ready to bolt.

"I CAN'T BELIEVE YOU! I HEARD THE WHOLE THING! TEACHING YOUR SON YOUR PERVERTED WAYS!"

"Yes, but you didn't deny it." His father said cheerily, leaning close to his wife.

Miroku watched as his father sailed past him, one hand reaching out and cupped around air, a blissful smile on his face, and a hand print on his cheek.

"You need to go to bed, young man." his mother whirled on him.

He nodded speechlessly. It had been a while since his mother had displayed her strength and severe lack of tolerance for her husband's lecherous ways. He didn't really want to be on the receiving end of something like that, but if he could find a beautiful girl to kiss him all the time...a little pain might be worth it.

Miroku smiled at his memories.

".....keh. That look on your face is freaking me out, monk." Inuyasha said.

"I have no idea what you're talking about, Inuyasha." Miroku looked around. "Where did Sango go?"

"She and Kagome and the runt went down to bathe." Inuyasha said.

Miroku's smile grew wider at this information. Inuyasha folded his arms.

"Pervert. You're just a glutton for punishment, aren't you?"

"Nonsense. I think I sense a demon or two in the direction of the springs." Miroku said, wandering off in that direction.

"I wouldn't if I were you." Inuyasha warned. "Sango was still in a bad mood when-" He started.

A bone boomerang came flying out of the brush, solidly conking Miroku on the head.

"Told you so."

"Ah...but the pain is most definitely worth it." Miroku said faintly, grinning.

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Author's Note:

WOOHOO! A REVIEW! THANK YOU KATERGATOR YOU'RE THE BEST!

You have made this author a very happy one!!!

As to Izayoi's name, it is in the third movie, which is out in Japan, just not in the US. Movie summaries, Izayoi, and Inutaisho fansites usually mention that she is named in the third movie.

And as always, review readers, and you will delight me to no end...spellcheck me, tear up my grammar, criticise my writing, anything....and I'll update faster...and if enough people review, I might choose to write more....So far I have short stories for Sesshoumaru, Shippou, Sango (Say that three time fast!), Izayoi, Rin, Kikyo, and Inuyasha, but I might be persuaded to write on other characters... See you next time(hopefully)!

Nenmeris

P.S. I looked up the name of Miroku's staff thing (shakujo) because I was curious...I'm not sure if its entirely correct...if anyone knows, please let me know


	4. The Flown Arrow

Inuyasha is a traitor.

That was Kikyo's one thought as she struggled through the grass, trying to reach the village in time, before Inuyasha could tear the place apart. She had been foolish to trust a demon, even if this one was hanyou. Even if this one had been kind to her. Her training as a priestess had told her that all demons were devious, but this deceit struck at her very core. The cruelest sorts of demons tortured not your body, but your spirit. She should have recognized it. She should have known that the hanyou was the worst kind. Being kind and cold to her in turns. Listening to her patiently, and then rejecting her. He had been drawing her in, drawing her toward him, with both his occasional displays of kindness and his rebuffs. They had spent time together, talking sometimes, sometimes just sitting there, when Inuyasha hadn't wanted her to know he was there, but, as a miko, she did of course.

He had been trying to steal the Shikon no Tama, as every other demon, hanyou, and even some humans had done. She was too powerful for him, easily defeating him. But instead of killing him, or purifying him, she had let him be. He had come back, seeking the jewel, but never again attacking the village, fearing for his life she had presumed. Eventually they had begun to talk to each other, for lack of anything else to do.She watched the jewel, and he watched it too, in his own selfish way. She had acquired a companion in guarding the jewel, something Kikyo thought she would never have. Then, her greatest and most secret wish looked like it was going to become a reality. Not only would she no longer be alone, she would not have to guard the accursed jewel.

She had asked him if he wanted to become human, and to her surprise and her joy, he had agreed. She would be freed from her guardianship and Inuyasha.... Inuyasha would be with her. But she should have tested him somehow. Her foolish pride, and her even more foolish trust had stopped her. What better judge, she had thought, than her own heart?

Kikyo stumbled as the pain her side throbbed, reminding her where her heart had gotten her.   
Standing, practically defenseless, in an open meadow, waiting for Inuyasha, with the Shikon no Tama. Waiting full of hope.

She laughed bitterly as another stumble caused her life's blood to stream more insistently down her side. Hope. What a stupid thing. Hope had torn her flesh open with sharp claws, with Inuyasha's laughter sounding in her ears, mocking her.

She had turned just in time to see the red robe and the claws descend upon her. Not that she needed that glimpse to identify the hanyou. He had stopped to gloat as she struggled to stand. And of course, he had to snatch the Shikon no Tama away from her, before leaving to destroy her home.

Ignoring the way the world had begun to fade, and the ever-present pain in her side, she started walking faster towards her village. She had to stop Inuyasha. That was what her last action would be before leaving this world. To kill the one who had betrayed her. To kill Inuyasha.   
The desire to do this doubled when she saw some of the houses in the village burning, its people standing outside and searching the rooftops and trees for the treacherous hanyou. Suddenly she saw him.

" Heh! I'll get the Shikon no Tama today, Kikyo!" Inuyasha said, soaring past the villagers and crashing through the roof of the temple. Kikyo pulled out an arrow, preparing for him to come out. Something was amiss. He had already stolen the Shikon no Tama...maybe she was confused. She could see the trail she had followed to get into the village, etched in her own blood. Now was not the time for doubts. She wouldn't last much longer. She had to kill Inuyasha. He burst up out of the temple, with his prize glittering in his hands. Kikyo's eyes narrowed She had merely been confused. He had attacked her first; to try and make sure she wouldn't interfere.

"Inuyasha!"

He turned and grinned, dashing into the forest. She went after him.

"Onee-sama! Onee-sama!" cried Kaede, her little sister running after her. Kikyo had to out distance the little girl. What if Inuyasha attacked her? There was no telling what he might do. He had betrayed her so easily, what was harming a little girl to a person like that? The need to protect her sister, coupled with her hatred gave her strength and her steps sped up as she reached the forest.

"How could you?" Kikyo yelled into trees, knowing he could hear her "INUYASHA!" Kikyo quickly nocked her arrow as she saw him. He turned and stopped, as if surprised. She almost smiled. Had he really thought he had finished her off? She was the priestess of the Shikon no Tama, and she would protect it, even if it cost her her life.

Although it had cost her her life.

Her whole life had gone into the protection of it. She was selected, from the moment she was born, for the power that burned inside of her. As a child she had been trained, first by the village miko, then by others, in far away places. She had been ripped from her own parents ruthlessly, all for the protection of what she had thought was shiny bauble as a child, and now knew to be the most evil creation on earth. When she Had returned to her home, after being given the jewel by the taijiya who had been guarding it, she realised she barely knew those she had left behind. Her sister Kaede, had accompanied her often, after showing late signs of possessing the powers of a miko herself, but her mother and father, dead upon her return, she could not mourn for. As she held her little sister while she sobbed at the loss of their parents, Kikyo herself felt nothing. She had buried the dead, and continued as she had. Strengthening herself to guard the jewel and purifying the jewel. It was the only life she had known. It was the only life she thought she could ever know.

Until Inuyasha came.

"Die Inuyasha." She said, feeling her hatred burn every other thought out as she loosed her grip on the arrow. The flown arrow struck true, straight into Inuyasha's heart, if he had had one. It hurled him into a tree and stuck there. He dropped the Shikon no Tama.

He had ripped that hope, the hope of another life away from her as relentlessly as her arrow had ripped through his body. She took a little pleasure from the thought. Leaning on her bow for strength, she readied herself to fire another.

"K-Kikyo." He said his eyes wide. Kikyo found herself unable to stand any longer. She collapsed to the ground, clutching at the Shikon no Tama as it rolled into her hands. Kikyo looked up at Inuyasha as the binding spell in the arrow took hold and he closed his eyes.

'I am avenged,' she thought, 'and the Shikon no Tama is safe.' So why did she still feel uneasy? Was it the look on Inuyasha's face as her arrow struck him? As if she had betrayed him.

Anger at all he had done to her welled up inside of her, her rage and hate filling her. He deserved to die, and worse.

Looking at the bloody jewel she clenched her jaw, forcing tears back. She looked up at the hanyou. He looked peaceful, in death. A peace he did not deserve.

"I will hate you forever for what you have done, Inuyasha." She whispered.

* * *

Nenmeris here again, sorry that this story wasn't has lighthearted as the rest, but hopefully you liked it anyway 

Any comments, flames, spelling errors, criticisms, and random babble are welcome, as usual, so read and review! Please? I'll update faster...this isn't so much a priority, because school is currently depriving me of sleep and sanity, but it can always become one....


	5. Love Undaunted

Yes, I don't own Inuyasha cause if I did...I'd be finishing the series, not writing fanfiction

Love Undaunted

Izayoi watched the face of her sleeping lord with a small smile. Relaxed in a way he never was with anyone else, his fearsome face could almost be called cute. Almost. Inutaisho's features were too strong for that. She sat up,wondering at how once those features had frightened and intrigued her. It had been almost two years sine she had met Inutaisho, merely by chance. She had been running away from home again after being promised to yet another boorish general. Strategic marriages were not to her taste, and she ususally changed into peasant clothing and hid out near the castle until her father realised her will would win out, as always. This time had been different. Unfortunately for her, several demons had begun chasing her as soon as she entered the forest near her home, and she was rapidly tiring from trying to outrun them. She finally slumped agasina tree, turning around, determined to meet her doom head on. As the lizard youkai closed in her, each snapping its jaws something white and blurry flasehd across her path and headed towards them, quickly reducing them to small pieces of flesh that hung in the air and then fell to the ground. Now that the figure was no longer moving, she could make out pale skin and silvery white hair, down past the person's waist. The armor gave the person away as male and she gasped as he turned.

"Youkai!" She said startled, backing into the tree. He looked at her, as if surprised.

"What are you doing there? Don't tell me you are a taijiya," he said. He walked to her and she tried to burrow into the tree. he sniffed her. "Definitely not taijiya. They stink of dead weak youkai. What is a noble lady doing in the forest at night?" Seeing her panic stricken face he gace her a rogueish grin. "Do not worry, little human, I will not devour you." He quickly became annoyed at her continuing silence. "If you be mute, and so obviously stupid as to wander these woods at night, I shall take my leave of you."

The word stupid broke through Izayoi's fear glazed mind. She snatched her head up, walking forward and pushing the youkai backwards. Surprised, he took a step back.

"Stupid? Mute? Didn't you hear me say "youkai" three seconds ago? Or are you such an old man your hearing is starting to go?"He gapedat that and Izayoi smiled, folding her arms,"I'll have you know my family owns these woods! I can wander in them whenever I choose! And ifI didn't reply to your question, it is because confronting four youkai in one night is enough to scare anyone's wits away and-" She said and he clapped a hand over her mouth, looking at her.

"I regret my words. Please return to that fearful silence. You were much prettier mute." He said, the smile gone from his face and a look of annoyance replacing it. He shook his head, muttering, "Old man..."

"Why you overbearing-!"  
"Oh, and for future reference, as this palace is on my lands, I own those woods. Otherwise your flesh would be digesting in those lizard's stomachs." He said, picking her up.  
"What are you-?" Izayoi started to ask, her face flushing  
"I am returning you to your home, so that your family can suffer as I have." He said.  
"Suffer!"  
"Yes, that incessant tongue of yours. Hopefully they will lock you away somewhere and this Inutaisho will no longer have to concern himself."

"No one asked-"

"Or I could leave you here," The youkai said chillingly. Izayoi looked at the remains of the youkai on the ground and shook her head no. He smiled at her coldly and held her under one arm, as if carrying a small child. Cheeks burning she said nothing more.

"Does this thing belong to you?"

Izayoi fumed as she was held up by the collar in front of her father and the suitor come to court her. Her father gasped, knocking over his sake cup in his haste to stand. Her would-be suitor went white, and started to shake.  
"Inutaisho, if you could put this noble lady down," Izayoi said gritting her teeth. He glanced at her.  
"Inutaisho-sama, you disrespectful wench," He admonished her. She ground her teeth, glaring at him.

"Inutaisho-sama, if you could please put this humble Lady Izayoi down,"Izayoi said, practically growling the words. Inutaisho laughed and set her down gently. "Thank you," She said as he turned to leave.

"Of course." He replied.

And then she had not seen the demon lord for an entire month. After being returned by Inutaisho, her father had kept her carefully guarded. The spineless man she had seen upon returning to the castle that night was to be her husband. As a courtesy effort, as well as a strategy to gain a powerful ally, her father had sent an invitation to Inutaisho. To her surprise, he had shown up, not through the front door, but directly in her room.

"We meet again, little human." He said, leaning agains the shoji doors. She jumped, startled.  
"Inutaisho..." She started and he gave her a warning glance. "-sama. I did not expect you would lower yourself to consort with humans"

"Did you not know that if you save someone's life you become responsible for them?" Inutaisho chuckled, it coming out as more a of bark. "So, getting married to another pathetic human? How sad for you. Is that why you were in the forest that night?"

"You think I would want to get married to a spineless, slobbering fool?" Izayoi bit back, angry at him for being amused at her plight.

"Come here," he said. She blinked and he looked at her expectantly. She stood and went out standing in the doorway with him.

"If you travel to the south of that star, you will eventually reach my home." Inutaisho said, pointing out the star with one claw. "I have no actual right to take you away from this place, but if you leave, I will not refuse you asylum. It is a long journey. It is up to you if you decide to make it. You may lose your life." Izayoi stared at him.

"Why...?" She said, utterly surprised.

"I told you, as I have saved your life, however unwittingly, I am responsible for you." Inutaisho said uncomfortably, his voice dropping to a rumble. "Izayoi." He straightened up, tails flicking slightly behind him. "I shall await your arrival"

"Await-but I haven't even decided yet!" Izayoi yelled after him. She watched the youkai disappear and slumped back to the floor, frowning. Expecting her to come automatically, how arrogant. On the other hand...she had a chance to save herself from the countless suitors and a miserable marriage.

Despite her various misgivings, Izayoi had taken that chance. She snuck away from the palace, gathering only what she needed, and traveled to the home of the Lord of the Western Lands. Despite the fact he had not openly accompanied her and had not said he would look after her at all on the journey, she suspected that he had, glimpsing a flash of white here and there. And he had been at the gates of his palace to greet her, simply saying her name and nodding. What followed afterwards was both pleasing and embarassing to remember. She had misinterpreted the invitation as platonic, and when she realised his intentions, she had punched the taiyoukai squarely in the jaw and made haste to leave. He had stopped her, and, shockingly enough,apologized, grumbling that he was a man of few words, and those awkward. He invited her to stay as a guest. Before she knew what was happening, she found herself looking forward to seeing the gruff and arrogant lord each day. Despite the coolness of the youkai around her, she enjoyed herself more by Inutaisho's side then anyplace else she had ever been. He allowed her a freedom she had never experienced. A chance to escape the confines of her duty and simply be herself, a self that amused him to no end. He made a habit of showing how her "antics" caused him no small amount of mirth, one of the things that usually sparked their arguments.

But that too had changed, in time. His amusement with her changed to affection, and affection into love. Her admiration and exasperation for him had changed into a wary sort of friendliness, and into love like his. He had taken her for his mate. After asking, of course.

Izayoi smiled, thinking back on those memories. That had been quite some time ago. Their son, Inuyasha, cried in the other room, prompting her to rise. She stopped as Inutaisho wrapped his hand around one of her wrists.

"What is it?"  
"Dragon..." He growled, sitting up.He dressed swiftly, and accompanied Izayoi to Inuyasha's room. Picking up his son, Inutaisho smiled slightly, then handed him to Izayoi, kissing her gently. "I will be gone some time. This is an old and formidable foe."

"You will come back safely?" Izayoi asked quietly, grasping his shirt. She heard a roar in the distance.

"Why would I not return to you?" Inutaisho said, grinning at her misgivings. He opened the shoji doors and bounded away. Izayoi stepped out of the room with Inuyasha, then looked to the side. Testsusaiga and Tenseiga rested against the wall.

He had been leaving them behind lately for her protection, claiming he did not really require their use, but it made her nervous, still. She would have liked for him to at least take Tenseiga. There had been so much trouble in the Western Lands. She shook her head, kneeling and rocking Inuyasha gently. Surely he would be back, bloodied and grinning at her for worrying so much. Still, she prayed for his safe return.

* * *

Yeah, its been a while since I've updated, but I'm back! And I do plan on updating much sooner next time, I really really do. Really. I've got a full length story in the works too, if I ever get around to finishing it...

As always, read, review, comment,criticise, point out bad grammar, leave an opinion, and even flame me if you feel like it!


	6. Dreaming

I don't own Inuyasha ;(

Dreaming

Sango clutched her boomerang, sliding back as she gave into its momentum. The youkai, a strange looking creature that seemed mostly claws and fangs on one large twisting body, lunged for her. She readied herself for another swing when a sword split the youkai in two, lightshining fromthe two halves as they continued to squirm.

"Kazaana!" With that the halved youkai was sucked into the black hole in the houshi's hand. He quickly rewrapped it, slinging the rosary over it with an ease that had come with practice. Sango watched him out of the corner of her eye. If she didn't the monk would take advantage of the fact that one of her hands was occupied with holding the hiraikotsu, and she also disliked bringing said object down on his head for fear it might really damage him. Not that that stopped her when she was really angry, but it was best to avoid the situation altogether.

"Ew."

Sango looked up to Kagome sidestepping bits of demon goop that had not made it into the monk's Kazaana. Sango shook her head slightly. As a taijiya, she was used to seeing much more gruesome scenes than this. Especially when it came time to harvest the bones from demon corpses. Not only did the things look bad, but they usually smelled worse. Once, her father told her that the masks the exterminators wore was not to counteract poisons, but to make sure no one died of demon stink.

Kirara shrank back down to kitten size and Sango pulled her kimono back on over her taijiya clothing.

Miroku had been so disappointed when he realised she didn't have to actually take off any clothing to change into her outfit. Even if he couldn't see anything, Sango knew he enjoyed imagining her take her clothes off, the lecher.

Sango felt a blush spread on her cheeks.

The perverted houshi was getting to her. The concentrated lechery on only her was actually kind of touching, especially since she was able to anticipate and prevent Miroku from really touching. Sighing, she picked up her hiraikotsu, shouldering its weight easily, training and experience giving her strength.

She had always known she would hunt demons. Demon hunting was a long tradition handed down from generation to generation in her village, and no one knew exactly how long her people had been doing it. Nearly everyone trained at least a little. As one grew, other options were offered, such as healing, or the occasional miko would be born. As a child, the members of her village would pick a weapon and use that same weapon for the rest of their lives. If they were exceptionally skilled, they would sometimes be allowed to train with two, assuming they had mastered their first. She had just been given her short sword when her village had been attacked...and everyone in it slaughtered. As it was she hardly ever used the short sword, and only as a last resort if she could not reach the hiraikotsu. She did not have the time to properly train herself in the use of another weapon, and would not shame the maker of it by using it poorly.

Sango thought about her present circumstances and shook her head, smiling slightly. A taijiya traveling with a demon and a half demon. She had been taught that there were some demons with minds of their own, not bent on the destruction of others, but had never expected to meet or become friends with one, and with a half demon as well. Of course, she had also never expected to meet a lecherous monk or a girl from the future. This entire journey was slightly surreal, but as serious as life. Her slaughtered village would be avenged. She would get Kohaku, the brother Naraku had stolen from her several times over, back, and alive, without his existence tied to a jewel shard. Whenever she had seen her brother the jewel sparkled tauntingly in his back, reminding her of all she had lost, and all she had left to lose.

The curse of a tainted jewel shard in her brother, the only thing sustaining his life, and the curse of a vacuum in Miroku's hand, a threat to the monk's life. Unless Naraku was stopped, neither would survive.

"Kirara, what do you think? Are you going to chomp on Naraku when we've defeated him?" She said to the fire cat. Kirara whined, shaking her furry head. Sango laughed.

Naraku, a strange creature made of spare part of youkai who oozed miasma, did not sound like a yummy snack, even to a fire cat that ate demons for breakfast on a regular basis.

"Sango! Over here!" Sango ran to Kagome, who was waving. From the looks of it, they had planned to stop her for the night. A fire crackled and a small pot was boiling water. Inuyasha, ramen in hand, was glaring at the water, as if the heat of his gaze would make it hotter that much faster.

"A watched pot never boils." Kagome said.

"What?" Inuyasha said uncomprehending. Sango shook her head. Even Shippou was snickering at Inuyasha. The hanyou was just...startlingly obtuse sometimes.

"What Kagome means to say," Miroku started smoothly, "Is that menacing the pot of water will not make it boil faster."

"I know that." The hanyou scowled. "Quit laughing, runt!"

"KA-GO-ME!" The little fox youkai cried, covering the rapidly forming bump on his head.

Sango smiled at her friend's antics. Their habits and quirks had long since become familiar to her, but never ceased to make her smile. She was glad to have found them, despite all difficulties, past and present. Each with their strengths and weaknesses, good sides and bad habits, and while they never could replace her village, they gave her a place in the world. Picking up Kirara and holding her in her lap, she petted the fire cat absently.

_Sliiiiiiiiiiiiiiiide._

Sango looked to her right. Miroku was looking in another direction entirely, watching Inuyasha chase Shippou, an amused smile on his face. Sango looked into the flames, pretending to ignore the houshi.

_Scoot. Scoot. Scoot._

Sango looked back at Miroku.

"Houshi-sama."

"Sango." He said with a smile. "Lovely night, isn't it?"

"Yes."

"But not as lovely as you." Sango rolled her eyes. She wondered if Miroku actually expected anyone to bear his child with lines like that. Although, Miroku only seemed to be horrible at flirting when he was with her, so she liked to take that as a sign of his feelings for her.

"Thank you, houshi-sama." She said graciously.

_Scoot._

Miroku was now sitting right next to her. Kirara stretched bared fangs at Miroku silently, and went to go lay closer to the fire. Sango rested her hands on the ground, feeling the cool grass. She almost jumped when Miroku laid his hand over hers.

"My dear Sango-" Miroku leaned close. "Would you do me the honor of...being my wife?"

Sango gaped.

"Y-y-y-your wife?" She exclaimed. It was too good to be true. There was no way in the world Miroku, the infamously lecherous monk, would actually pose a question that didn't involve her flat on the ground, and instead involved her fully clothed, in several layers of white kimono. It had to be a trap….

"Naraku..." She growled, reaching for her boomerang, looking around. "I know its you!"

"Sango! SANGO! Wake up!"

Sango woke up to find herself standing, holding her hiraikotsu over Miroku's head menacingly. The houshi was looking at her with a slightly panicked expression.

"…As you can see, Naraku's not here…please put that down" He squeaked out.. Sango shook her head slightly to clear her thoughts, and then looked at the monk. "You were yelling in your sleep about Naraku. Did you have a nightmare?"

"Er….." She started. Nope, definitely not a nightmare, but definitely too good to be true. She would have to slap a lot of perverted brain cells dead before Miroku would ever ask that question. "I'm fine, Houshi-sama." She looked around. The others were sleeping peacefully, lying on the ground. Shippou was curled up by Kagome, Inuyasha nearby, ears twitching.

"When did I fall asleep?" Sango asked, slightly disoriented.

"When we were sitting by the fire. Kagome told me not to touch you, so I just let you lean on my shoulder." Miroku explained.

"...I see." Sango smiled. At least Miroku wasn't that perverted.

Then she felt something brush across her bum lightly.

"HOUSHI." Miroku backed away at murderous tone.

"...I resisted as long as I could." the monk's tone was as feeble as his excuse.

"What was that noise?" Shippou rubbed his eyes. A series of loud thumps and crashes woke him up.

"The hentai houshi is getting his comeuppance. Go back to sleep runt." Inuyasha said, turning over and wrapping a blanket around his ears to block out the sounds of a thorough beating.

Only five stories left in this series, folks! Thanks to everyone who's been reading, and once again, review! Please? Pretty please? If I see a review or two, I'll update within the next week, cause its my spring break, otherwise I'll just spend it on whipping my other story into shape so I can start posting that when I'm done with Beads...

Btw, changed my name cause I got rid of my old email address, and its just easier for them to match in my mind...plus I like the concept of wabisabi.


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